front door

was frozen shut this morning. Had to kick it, carefully. Hard enough to get it open, but not so hard that it would shatter and scatter.

Cold again tonight, but clear. I see Orion and Pleiades. Cold enough to scurry back inside and shiver.

dinner

Work all day. Miss lunch with a friend because she is ill: worsening double pneumonia. Get hungry.

Forget it's time to go home because you're meeting with students. Way rewarding, stop and love job. Notice the time: late. Do errands on the way home. Get there. Check mailbox: no mail. Neighbors' lights and TVs are on. No one about.

Invent a reason to deserve pasta instead of fresh raw fruits & vegies. Or maybe should work out instead of eating. A walk in the subzero wind; stumble on ice? Home yoga with Rodney Yee DVD? Love expanding self. Make pasta.

Pinch fresh basil from windowsill plants and cut into fine slices with kitchen scissors. Dice fresh garlic. Drain pasta. Toast garlic in hot olive oil. Mix basil, pasta, and parmesan cheese; add garlic. Eat. Call friend.

Kirtan

Kirtan evening. Vegetarian and vegan potluck, chai. Cushions on the floor, no prob for yogis. Muted lighting. Excellent musicians. Spirit, music I feel in my sternum, like-minded souls. Joy, love, community.

Paradoxically I feel judgmental and uncomfortable, rooted in 3-dimensional duality, old jaded and cynical. Long for home. Pretty sure this is good for me.

breathing, yelling, and stomping

We did relaxation exercises before the test today.

I turned out the lights. Told them, "take a deep breath, pull your shoulders up to your ears and squeeze." Then I told them, "Stretch your hands up to the ceiling. Yell a little! Wave your hands. Stomp your feet!"

Sometimes you need to relax. Sometimes you need to scream. 

Reiki and culture

Reiki student this week noted that when we share Reiki we're all equal. There is no race, ethnic, or cultural inequality. 

black and white

saw a raven eating potato chips in the snow

caduceus

Was stopped at a red light. There was an ambulance beside me. Not the screeching red lights and pedal to the metal ambulance: off-duty, on it's way back home.

I noticed the logo painted onto the side. A snake wound around a stick. A caduceus. An old logo for medicine.

It struck me: that is Kundalini energy rising. Those old folks sure knew a thing or two.

shame and joy

Was reading today (Sedona Journal of Emergence) about how shame blocks joy and love.

So we examine our feeling of shame (Shame, Boatloads of Shame; the Avett Brothers), really take a look, and then somehow forgive ourselves for our supposed sins and associated self-loathing.

Then hug your loved ones; be gracious; be merciful; forgive.

Enlightenment, joy, and love ensue. 

so loud

Campus clinicals with students.

Injections, intravenous fluids, chest tubes, tracheostomy care, and medication administration. What made it so fun? We laughed so loudly that several people stopped by to see what was happening. I guess we needed to laugh.

It was a good day. A day to love my job, my school, and especially my students. 

transition

Is this a particularly difficult energetic transition? The people around me seem so stressed: ill, at the last straw, or over the line into anger or despair.

Yes, it's winter. Climate change: weather is freaky. Everything is different.

The economic collapse endures. Resources are stretched. We adjust.

When times are tough and I despair, I remind myself to do self-Reiki, breathe, search for spiritual meaning, do the right thing, and be kind. It's not much, but it's all I've got. 

bought a book

online, great reviews, and it arrived; looked familiar. Opened and read the first few paragraphs.

Oh darn, I bought and read this last year. Didn't love it. But here it is again.

Do I have to read it again? 

rain

pinging on the tin roof. Unusual for January; usually we have snow. Mountains of snow for skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. No, it's definitely rain.

Cool rain, good sleeping weather. Unless one is the sort to be kept awake by worries of global climate change.

Reiki in the morning

when I wake up. Reiki at night, before I fall asleep.

Reiki any time in between. 

how to get an A

Rules for students.

1) Don't plagiarize.

2) Don't cite Wikipedia.

3) Read, think, write.

4) Follow instructions.

5) Be authentic and creative.

6) Keep your patient alive and comfortable.

hope

something about becoming a grandmother,
I remember this same feeling when pregnant,
there's this feeling of hope. Faith, courage. Joy.

Like, the world has to be OK because this baby is coming. 

like a monkey in a tree

I realized today that I teach like a tree, not a highway. I don't go straight and fast from Point A to Point B. I don't stay in the lines.

I jump around like a monkey in the branches of a tree. I tell stories, entertain, and ask questions. I make funny noises. I try to keep my students awake and engaged.

So don't try to take notes. Sit back, relax, and join in the fun. 

Death

Dreamt about Death, a dark figure who walked past me, paralyzing me.

As Death passed me by, the dark figure turned to light and turned to me to say, "I'm not on the job, just out for a walk."

weather

is the big news.

Snow, ice, icicles, bitter cold, subzero winds, freakish warmth with rain and hail, floods, freezing rain, slush, ice, wind, and more snow. It's cold enough.

It's cold enough to chill my teeth and bones. To regret going without gloves. To wish for a face mask or helmet. That cold.

I like to snowshoe around my house and rake snow from the roofs. I like to clear my driveway of snow and ice. I like to skate on icy ponds and climb snowy hills on sunny mornings. 

how to knit a baby blanket in 3s

Buy some washable colorful cotton yarn and cast 90 stitches onto your favorite circular needles.
Knit from one end to the other 3 times: garter stitch.

Now K3, P3 and repeat. Finish with K3.

When you start and finish the row with K3, you'll get a garter stitch border. The K3 P3 repeat makes wide stripes and the blanket will lay flat.

Make it about 3 feet long. Finish with 3 rows of K for final garter stitch border.

Wash gently with mild soap, and lay flat to dry or dry on low.